Presentation from the Promoting Respectful Relationships conference. Full details at http://www.respectwales.org.uk

1. Media Literacy Matters:
children’s and young people’s media use
12 November 2010

2. Media Literacy @ Ofcom
Use
Understand
Create
Access, volume of use and breadth of use of different
platforms
Understand and evaluate content
Create content and interact with media devices or
with other users
Media literacy is the ability to use, understand and
create media and communications

3. 3
Contents – Children’s and Young People’s Media
Literacy
• Children’s and young people’s media use and affinity
• Children’s and young people’s attitudes to media
• Parental attitudes and interventions

4. 5-7 8-11 12-15
Watch TV DVDs/Videos
Use a mobile
phone
Use the internet
Via PC/Laptop
Play console/
Video games
Regular media activities undertaken
Listen to
the radio
95
Watch TV 94
Watch TV
94
Watch TV
43
37
54 78
55
50
60
61
51
53
82
32
37
4Read Newspapers
/Magazines
Listen to portable
MP3 device
45
49
43
30
27
20

5. 5-7 8-11 12-15
Watch TV DVDs/Videos
Use a mobile
phone
Use the internet
Via PC/Laptop
Play console/
Video games
TV dominates for younger children, but mobiles and
the internet are increasingly important for 12-15s
58
Watch TV
47
Watch TV 32
Watch TV
22
Console/
games
19
Console/
games
16
Console
/ games
4
20
Interne
t10
24
mobile
6
2
10
5
Listen to
the radio

6. Devices used to visit websites
6

7. 7
QC13A-M – Thinking about what you do when you use the internet at home, do you use the internet to do any of these? (prompted responses, multi-coded)
– PERCENTAGES SHOWN REFLECT THOSE THAT UNDERTAKE ACTIVITY AT LEAST WEEKLY
Base: Children aged 5-15 who use the internet at home (1567 aged 5-15 in UK, 1016 aged 5-15 in England, 199 aged 5-15 in Scotland, 205 aged 5-15 in
Wales, 147 aged 5-15 in Northern Ireland) – significance testing shows any difference by nation compared to the UK measure
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May and September to October 2009
Internet activities carried out at least once a week by users

8. 8
Contents – Children’s and Young People’s Media
Literacy
• Children’s and young people’s media use and affinity
• Children’s and young people’s attitudes to media
• Parental attitudes and interventions

9. 9

10. 10
47%
33%
14%
27%
10%
46%
33%
15%
29%
10%
47%
34%
11% 12%
9%
58%
27%
6%
25%
11%
48%
40%
13%
18%
8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
QC18 – I’d like to read out a number of things people might do. For each one, could you please tell me if you’ve done it, you’d be interested in doing it, or not
interested? (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Children aged 8-15 who use the internet at home (1227 in UK, 796 in England, 154 in Scotland, 167 in Wales, 110 in Northern Ireland) – significance testing
shows any difference by nation compared to the UK measure
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May and September to October 2009
Children’s experience of creative activities
Set up your own page or profile
on a website like Bebo, Piczo,
MySpace, Facebook or Hi5
Uploaded photos to
the internet
Set up your own
website
Create a character (or
avatar) that lives or plays
in the online world on
sites like Club Penguin
Made a short video and
uploaded it to the internet
UK
England
Scotland
Wales
NIreland
UK
England
Scotland
Wales
NIreland
UK
England
Scotland
Wales
NIreland
UK
England
Scotland
Wales
NIreland
UK
England
Scotland
Wales
NIreland

11. 11
97%
27%
14%
4%
96%
39%
27%
9%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Talk to
people I
don’t
know
Look for
old
friends/
people
I’ve lost
touch
with
Talk to
people
who are
friends of
friends
Talk to friends/
family
Minority of SNS users talk to friends of friends or
people they don’t know

12. 12
NQC26BA// BB/ BC/ BD/ BE/ BF/ BG – I’m going to read out some types of information that people can show on the internet, and for each one I’d like you to say
how you would feel about putting this information online (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Those children aged 12-15 who use the internet at home or elsewhere (371 aged 12-15)
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May 2010
12-15s say they are more willing to share information than contact details
NEW QUESTION ADDED AT WAVE 1 - 2010

13. 13
12%
42%
55%
28%
29%
35%
47%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
EXPERIENCE OF ALL OF THESE
NONE OF THESE
ANY OF THESE
Someone pretending to be them
online
Embarrasing pictures being
posted or sent to other people
against their wishes
Sending an email or text
message they wished they had
not sent
Gossip being spread about them
online or via text message
NQC45 – Do you personally know anyone who has experienced any of the following things in the last year, either online or via a mobile phone?
Base: Children aged 12-15 (376)
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in September to October 2010
More than half of children aged 12-15 know of people who have experienced at
least one of one of the following…
NEW QUESTION ADDED AT WAVE 2 - 2010

14. 14
29%
16%
24%
18%
20%
12%
18%
44%
24%
26% 25% 24%
21% 23%
14%
36%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
These things
don’t worry me
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Someone
posting
photos of me
on their page
People can
get a bad
name from
other people
posting
comments
about them
Someone
might pretend
to be my age
and get to
know me
Sometimes
people get
bullied on
them
People can
send hurtful
messages to
other people
I sometimes
spend too
much time on
them
Strangers might find
out information about
me
QC22 – Which of these things, if any, are things that you don’t like about sites like Bebo, Piczo, hi5, Facebook or MySpace?
Base: Children aged 8-15 who have a social networking site profile that is currently active (129 aged 8-11, 442 aged 12-15)
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May and September to October 2009
Children’s dislikes about social networking sites
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15

15. 15
36%
12% 13%
4%
1%
5%
2%
54%
49%
15% 14%
3%
6%
2% 2%
42%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Children’s dislikes about mobile phones
These things don’t
worry me
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Too difficult to
use
Seeing things
on the phone
that make me
feel sad,
frightened or
embarrassed
Slow access to
the internet over
the phone
Seeing things
on the phone
that are too old
for me
Sometimes
people get
bullied on them
People can
send hurtful
messages to
other people
It costs too much
money
QC38 – Which of these things if any, are things you don’t like about mobile phones? (prompted responses, multi-coded)
Base: Children aged 8-15 who have a mobile phone (392 aged 8-11, 684 aged 12-15 )
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May and September to October 2009
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15

16. 16
19%
15% 14%
11%
64%
34%
16% 16%
12%
50%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
QC33 – Which of these things if any, are things you don’t like about playing games over the internet? (prompted responses, multi coded)
Base: Children aged 8-15 who ever play games online (219 aged 8-11, 329 aged 12-15)
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May and September to October 2009
Children’s dislikes about online gaming
Sometimes spend too
much time on them
Someone might
pretend to be my age
and get to know me
Strangers might find out
information about me
People can say hurtful
things about how other
people play games
These things
don’t worry me
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15
Aged
8-11
Aged
12-15

17. Children’s opinions of the internet
• It’s easier to keep things secret or private on the internet than in real life – 16%
• It’s easier to talk about personal things on the internet – 14%
• I feel more confident on the internet than I do in real life – 14%
• It’s fun being silly or rude on the internet – 13%
• When I’m on the internet I forget about the safety rules – 5%
17

18. 18
Contents – Children’s and Young People’s Media
Literacy
• Children’s and young people’s media use and affinity
• Children’s and young people’s attitudes to media
• Parental attitudes and interventions

19. 19

20. 20
32%
20%
41%
25%
8%
9%
9%
11%
60%
71%
50%
64%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Very/ fairly concerned Neither/ Don't know Not very / not at all concerned
NQP33CF/ NQP33CG /QP38E/ QP38F – Please tell me the extent to which you are concerned about these possible aspects of your child’s internet use/ mobile
phone use? (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Parents of children whose child use the internet at home (314 aged 8-11, 333 aged 12-15) and those whose child has their own mobile phone (191 aged 8-
11, 340 aged 12-15)
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May 2010
Internet
Mobile phone
Internet
Mobile phone
Aged 8-11
Aged 12-15
NEW QUESTION WAVE 1 - 2010
Parental concern about their child being bullied

21. 21
NQC26A – Have you ever been given any information or advice about how to stay safe while you are online? ? (spontaneous responses, multicoded)
Base: Those children aged 8-15 who use the internet at home or elsewhere (732 aged 8-15, 361 aged 8-11, 371 aged 12-15) Significance testing shows any
difference between children aged 8-11 and aged 12-15
Source: Ofcom research, fieldwork carried out by Saville Rossiter-Base in April to May 2010
Information/advice about staying safe online
NEW QUESTION WAVE 1 - 2010

22. 22
Key figures children would go to if they found something upsetting or
offensive on the internet

23. Thank you
23